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Synonyms
Cone-ower, Hedgehog, Indian head, Kansas snakeroot, Missouri
snakeroot, Purple coneower, Red sunower, Rudbeckia, Sampson
root, Scurvy root, SnakerootO term echinacea comes from the Greek
echinos and means sea urchin in allusion to the pointed shape of the
bract.
Historic
Echinacea is a native American plant and one of the best known
herbal medicines used in Europe and the United States to prevent
u and colds. Its owers are intensely purple and grow around a tall
cone and have a light scent. The root is tapered, cylinder-shaped and
slightly spiraled. It became known to European botanists in 1690. It
is the most researched immunostimulant plant in the world, especially
in Europe. Highly price by natural health advocates for its immune-
boosting properties, it also supports the respiratory system.
The rst illustration of the Echinacea plant was found in the third
volume of the manuscripts of Professor R. Morison (rst Professor of
Botany at Oxford), dated 1699. The professor rst named this species
Dracunculus virginainus Latifolius, later in the 18th century it was
named Rudbeckia Purpúrea until it received the name Echinacea
Purpúrea.
This plant was rst used by North American Indians to cure
wounds, toothache and fever (it has anti-inammatory, antibacterial,
antiviral properties and vulnerable), as it was born abundantly in
the mountains of the north of the United States. They called it ek-
ih-nay-see-uh, to treat or prevent infectious diseases and tumors and
neutralize the toxic effects of bites from snakes or poisonous animals.
The Sioux Indians were the rst to recognize Echinacea as an antidote
for rabies, long before Pasteur. Mesk natives Wakis used the grated
root as an antispasmodic and the Cheyennes chewed it as part of the
Sun Dance ritual. In indigenous cultures and early American settlers,
the plant was smoked to combat cephaleas (headaches), with its smoke
blown into the nostrils of enraged horses in order to calm them down.
The sorcerers and wichdoctors washed their hands with Echinacea
juice before plunging them into boiling water. Indians of the
Winnebago tribe used Echinacea before placing a burning coal in
the mouth. The chewed root was also used for toothaches, enlarged
ganglia, as in mumps, and its juice was applied on burns and wounds.1
White settlers later adapted the plant for their use.
Only in 1870, the product coming from the Midwest of the United
States was patented and thus Rudbeckia Roxa was prepared for medical
use. This plant was named Echinacea Purpúrea and is very effective
in the treatment of cold sores, rheumatism and erysipelas. In 1890,
Lloyd Brothers became the rst North American company to export
Echinacea to the European market. At the end of that century, the
North American Pharmacopoeia considered the tincture of Echinacea
an immunomodulator.
At the beginning of the century it was brought to Europe, having
in the thirties the great discovery of the German company Madaus
and Co, which initiated research that is carried out until today, mainly
by Dr Wagner in Munich. Germany commercializes drugs with the
active principle of Echinacea Purpúrea on a large scale. Currently, in
the middle of the 21st century, scientic research continues and turns
to preventive and therapeutic use, both anti-inammatory and action
anti-viral activating immune system.
Active principles
The aerial parts of Echinacea Purpúrea are used as a vegetable
drug (owers, leaves and seeds collected at the time of owering) as
well as its fresh or dried roots, collected in autumn. Its wide range of
activities in terms of immunity has already been conrmed in numerous
scientic studies. Echinacea acts as an immunostimulant by several
mechanisms: stimulation of phagocytosis, stimulation of cytokine
release and inhibition of hyaluronidase activity. Studies have shown
that a principle of Echinacea, heteroxylan activates phagocytosis, and
another arabinogalactan causes proliferation of T lymphocytes and
promotes the release of tumor necrosis factor (TNF), interleukin 1
and interferon-ß2 from macrophages, increasing the overall level the
body’s resistance to infection, acting as an immunostimulant.2
In its biochemical composition we nd:
• Caffeic acid derivatives (phagocytic properties),
mucopolysaccharides
• Essential oils in the aerial part: Pyrrolizidine alkaloids: tussilagin
and isotussilagin.
• Alkamides (anti-inammatory properties),
• Polysaccharides inulin, betaine (hyaluronidase inhibitors),
• Glycoproteins (B and T cell stimulators).
• Phenylcarbonic acid glycosides: echinacein, cynarin and
echinacoside.
J Stem Cell Res Ther. 2023;8(1):32‒34. 32
©2023 Vendola. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which
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Echinacea purpurea, a pathway to increased immunity
Volume 8 Issue 1 - 2023
Maria Cecilia Ciaccio Vendola
Collaborator in the Geriatrics Medical Clinic Department
FMUSP, Brazil
Correspondence: Maria Cecilia Ciaccio Vendola, Collaborator
in the Geriatrics Medical Clinic Department FMUSP, Brazil,
Rua da Consolação, 3075 apto 503 Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil, CEP
01416001 Tel 55 11 991518592,
Email
Received: August 16, 2023 | Published: September 04, 2023
Abstract
This work aims to return scientic interest to the valuable biochemical components found
in Phytotherapy in times of exponential growth of viral propagation in the world. The topic
addressed will be specically the Echinacea Purpúrea plant, a member of the Compositae
or Asteraceae family, which has been researched all over the world , may open up new
possibilities for the treatment of oral and systemic diseases , using its own biochemistry as
a stimulating factor to increase immunity. Recent studies in humans have shown actions of
interest in the immune response with its use, both in aerial part and roots.
Keywords: immunity, Echinacea purpurea, cold, health, viral infecction
Journal of Stem Cell Research & erapeutics
Short Communication Open Access
Echinacea purpurea, a pathway to increased immunity 33
Copyright:
©2023 Vendola
Citation: Vendola MCC. Echinacea purpurea, a pathway to increased immunity. J Stem Cell Res Ther. 2023;8(1):32‒34. DOI: 10.15406/jsrt.2023.08.00161
• Resins containing fatty acids (oleic, linolenic, cerotinic and
palmitic) and phytosterols.
• Minerals: zinc and sulfur.
• Equinolone, chicoric acid (found in leaves and roots), triterpenes.
• Organic acids: chlorogenic and isochlorogenic
• Flavonoids, tannins, vitamins (thiamine and riboavin).
It probably develops bacteriostatic action through inhibition of
bacterial hyaluronidase. This effect helps prevent infections when
used on wounds. In addition to this hyaluronidase -inhibitory effect,
it has fungicidal properties by stimulating the growth of new tissue.
Echinacea stimulates the production of leukocytes, acts as a
natural antibiotic, accelerates the body’s rehabilitation, has an anti-
inammatory effect; ght viruses.
Currently, Echinacea Purpúrea has been used for the treatment
of u and colds (both in prevention and in some therapeutic
applications), patients undergoing chemotherapy, prevention of
infections and temporary illnesses, abscesses, bronchitis, sore throat,
allergic reactions, mitigating arthritis rheumatoid arthritis and, more
recently, for labial herpes.
Other diseases can also be cited where its effectiveness has already
been proven: pneumonia and respiratory diseases in general.
Literature review
The rst reports of experimental research, with the purpose of
looking for signicant levels of toxicity, are from 1976, rats were
inoculated with Echinacea Purpúrea and no signicant signs were
found. This low level of toxicity has been researched over the years
and the presence of several polysaccharides has been conrmed,
demonstrating its low toxicity. Studies in mice have shown that this
plant can increase the production of stimulating substances, such as
interleukins and tumor necrosis factors.3
Cichoric acid from Echinacea Purpúrea owers helps to stimulate
macrophages and leukocytes, observed in vitro by DF. Brown in
1996.4 Although not all studies have given positive results, there is
considerable evidence that Echinacea Purpúrea can boost immunity.
We have as an example a research with u patients, who took larger
doses of Echinacea Purpúrea, where it was observed that they
recovered faster than those who took smaller doses or placebo;
in another research, the administration of polysaccharides from
Echinacea Purpúrea increased the interferon level, managing to
signicantly reduce cases of psoriasis.5 However, it was in 1985 that
the rst studies of the immune system in human beings began with the
use of Echinacea, obtaining such favorable results that the European
scientic community was really surprised, because it was possible to
stimulate the immune system in humans, obtaining if results between
40% and 50% of stimulation in the stem cells of the bone marrow
and lymphatic system), thus increasing the B and T cells. The results
began to be observed in colds and u and even infections caused by
Candida Albicans.
Phytosterols participate in the anti-inammation mechanism and
Echinacea Purpúrea, because it has these natural anti-inammatories,
does not cause an exaggerated immune reaction, such as autoimmunity.4
Currently, research has been carried out on its use as a topical
medication for cold sores, with great success. After application to
the site of injury, it relieves symptoms such as pain, burning, itching,
burning and numbness in the lip. This result is due to the intracellular
response to the virus, as Echinacea increases the production of
interferon (these results had already been found by Dr Wagner in
1985).6 The intracellular mechanism breaks the DNA chains of the
virus, blocking its reproduction. Cytochromo P 450 seems to be the
main system responsible for the metabolism of Echinacea components:
most of the main hepatic and some extra-hepatic isoforms seem to be
involved.7 The acids present in the roots have shown hepatoprotective
effects.8 The most abundant alkyl (alkamide) in Echinacea Purpurea
was successfully quantied in the plasma of patients after ingestion of
the extract by the LC-MS/MS assay.9 Recent studies have investigated
the possible toxicity of its use and it has low rates. Concomitant
use with warfarin (anticoagulant) seems to have its kinetics altered
with a certain increase in serum levels, however without interfering
with its pharmacological activity10 do not use it in conjunction with
immunosuppressive drugs, or in progressive systemic diseases such
as tuberculosis and, in general, in autoimmune diseases.
The European Medicines Agency (EMA)11 indicates the use of the
root, solely based on its traditional use, in the treatment of symptoms
of the common cold and for blemishes or scars due to mild acne.
However, the owering aerial part of this species is indicated, in
well-established use, for the prevention and short-term treatment of
the common cold, and in traditional use, in small supercial wounds.
Recent studies have shown actions of interest in the immune response
with the use of Echinacea Purpurea are immunosuppressive in nature
rather than immunostimulant ascribed to the inhibitory actions on the
release of various cytokines.12 A novel homogeneous polysaccharide
from E. purpurea (EPPA) is under study and its oral use could be
a strategy to tackle tumors by tailoring M1 macrophage function.13
Patients with Recurrent Herpes Labialis were studied and used a
liquid form administered 3x to the subjects participating in the study
and the response of Tregs cells immunosuppressants (CD4 +CD25+)
decreased signicantly, giving rise to lymphocyte redistribution.14 A
recent review cross-referencing information on preventive use and as
an antiviral agent for the treatment of respiratory diseases caused by
some already known variants of Sars Cov II, concluded that although
more studies need to be carried out, it can be said that the preventive
action in children up to 12 years old proved to be very effective.15
Conclusion
The objective of this review is to briey inform some of the
many studies that began in vitro, with animals and in humans and
have been widely developed with positive scientic evidence, and to
highlight the pharmacological properties of this plant drug. Of course,
it is observed that Echinacea Purpúrea does not exactly represent the
solution for better immunity, but it is quite clear that its effects are
quite interesting in this sense, taking into account its few if very well
dened restrictions.
It should be noted that, in addition to proven effective anti-
inammatory properties, inhibition of bacterial hyaluronidase and
stimulation of B and T cells are bacteriostatic and antiviral factors
that should be considered. And today, in an era of new scientic
guidelines, all scientic knowledge that can be applied in order to
stimulate the immune system comes to add positively in this ght
that humanity faces against intelligent viral agents that place the most
modern vaccine concepts still short of a full immunity coverage of
our patients.
Acknowledgments
My thanks to editors and reviewers of JSRT MedCrave.
Echinacea purpurea, a pathway to increased immunity 34
Copyright:
©2023 Vendola
Citation: Vendola MCC. Echinacea purpurea, a pathway to increased immunity. J Stem Cell Res Ther. 2023;8(1):32‒34. DOI: 10.15406/jsrt.2023.08.00161
Conicts of interest
Author have no conict of interest.
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